Happy World Intellectual Property Day

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Jane Lambert

Today is World Intellectual Property Day and Francis Gurry, the Director-General of the WIPO, has recorded the above message for us.  According to the WIPO, more than 400 grassroots-organized celebrations are planned worldwide of which 17 will be in the United Kingdom.  M-SParc (Menai Science Park) near Gaerwen on Anglesey will host Wales's contribution at 13:00 today with talks from Steve Livingston of IP Tax Solutions and Huw Watkins of BIC Innovation and me.

Every year World IP Day is celebrated around a different theme.  This year the theme is IP and Sport.  This is particularly relevant to Anglesey as it is famous for yachting and many other sports.  The wide range of sports that are available on the island, as well as climbing, hill walking and other land-based sports in Snowdonia, attract tourists from all parts of the world.  As Carole Beckford, a sports marketer on another island, notes in an article for the WIPO magazine, IP, sports and tourism are a perfect match.

As next year will be an Olympic year, there are special articles on the IP journey of the Olympic games and ambush marketing.   That is obviously important for broadcasters and sponsors but it also benefits schoolchildren and adults who participate in sport and other physical exercises for fun since every Olympic city has to invest in heritage activities as a condition for hosting the Games.  In
Intellectual property rights: driving global sports, the chair of the Sports Rights Owners' Coalition discusses the enormous sums that his members invest in grassroots sport.  This is done not out of altruism but self-interest, as it is in schools and clubs that stars like Gareth Bale and Alun Wyn Jones, are first noticed. 

Steve, Huw and I look forward to our talk this afternoon.  If this event succeeds we shall try to organize IP advice clinics and other events at Gaerwen.  If you have not already registered there is still time to do so here. If you can't attend today's seminar, call me on 020 7404 5252 during office hours or send me a message through my contact form and I shall send you my slides and handout,